Volendam: Museums, History and Walks

Volendam offers several ways to explore history and culture: the Volendams Museum, the historic streetscape and routes with different themes. When planning your stay, you can consider these separately: the museum focuses on collections and the history of the town, walks take you through historic areas, and an audio tour tells Volendam’s story through works of art. This lets you shape your stay around the topics that interest you most.

Museums and Local History

The Volendams Museum presents Volendam’s history and culture from 1850 to 1950. It is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; check the opening hours before your visit, as they may change. The collection includes mosaics made from 11 million cigar bands—an unusual example of how an everyday object can become the material for a work of art when gathered in large quantities.

Local history can also be seen at different scales. Volendam’s oude kom (old town center) is a municipally protected area of cultural and historical interest, consisting of five subareas. The Doolhof is considered the oldest part of the center and stands out for its irregular street pattern. Those interested in architectural history will find another specific point of reference in the mostly wooden Visafslag of the Coöperatieve Afslagvereniging G.A. St. Vincentius: this rare, well-preserved monument was built in 1934.

The museum offers treasure hunts for all ages, both inside the museum and outdoors in Volendam’s old town center. This makes it possible to combine a museum visit with an activity that explicitly includes both areas. Stichting Klederdrachten Volendam preserves the original Volendam traditional costume for future generations of interested visitors. Experience Volendam also offers visitors a photo in traditional Volendam costume.

Routes through Volendam

A marked walking route starts at the Volendams Museum. It leads through the center and along the Dijk, passing various historic sights. The route offers a way to experience local history not only in a collection, but also while out and about.

The Dijk- en Doolhofroute is a walk through the heart of historic Volendam. It starts on the old Zuiderzee dike and ends at Noordeinde and Volendam harbour. These details give you clear directions for the beginning and end of the route. The Doolhof, with its irregular street pattern, is also a point of reference for exploring the oldest local history of the town center.

Another way to explore the town is the 2 km “Volendam Kunstenaarsdorp” audio tour. It tells the story of Volendam through paintings from the Spaander Collection. When choosing between the options, the focus is what matters: the marked walking route passes historic sights, while the audio tour connects local history with paintings. Stage 1 of the Waterliniepad also starts in Volendam; this starting point adds another route option to consider.

Music history at the Palingsound Museum

The Palingsound Museum is dedicated to music history, with original stage outfits, instruments, and gold and platinum records. A timeline wall features singles spanning 60 years, with audio playback for each entry. This offers another perspective on Volendam’s culture, extending beyond local history, traditional costume and visual art to music and its memorabilia.

When choosing a hotel in Volendam, consider which of these themes you want to shape your stay: a focus on museums, a walk through historic areas, or a particular cultural perspective such as art or music. The options mentioned differ in content and format; they do not need to be combined into a single itinerary.

Discover more destinations: Edam

Go to the main travel overview: Edam-Volendam.